The Trump administration has reassigned a top Education Department enforcement official who drew the ire of Democrats because of his previous work at a for-profit college.
— Julian Schmoke will no longer serve as the department’s chief enforcement officer, a personnel move that comes as House Democrats gear up to scrutinize DeVos over her rollback of rules on for-profit colleges and hiring of former industry officials.
— A former DeVry University dean, Schmoke has been a frequent target for congressional Democrats since he was selected to lead the Student Aid Enforcement Unit in August 2017. He will now oversee one group within the unit that investigates colleges for violations of the Clery Act, a federal campus safety law, according to a source familiar with the change.
— A department spokesperson confirmed Schmoke is no longer the chief enforcement officer, but would say only that he’s now a “senior adviser” in the Office of Federal Student Aid.
— Jeff Appel, the director of policy liaison and implementation in the Office of Federal Student Aid, has been delegated the duties of chief enforcement officer until a permanent replacement is named. Michael has more.